The advent of multiparty politics in Yugoslavia consolidated Slobodan Milosevic's power as Serbian president.

Unlike in most of Eastern Europe, Milosevic's Serbian Communist Party embraced popular nationalism, rather than reacted against it.

The Yugoslav Communist Party collapsed following a party congress in Belgrade in January 1990. The congress voted for an end to the one-party system, but Milosevic refused to agree to other reforms. The Slovenian and Croatian delegations walked out, leading to the break-up of the party.

In July 1990 the Serbian Communist Party changed its name to the Serbian Socialist Party.
But it retained its assets, power-structures and - crucially - control of the state media.

As Croatia called elections, Milosevic warned that if the Yugoslav nation dissolved, it would be necessary to redraw Serbia's boundaries to include Serbs living in other republics. The prospect of civil war was looming.